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DC SUPER HERO GIRLS: LEGENDS OF ATLANTIS ANIMATED FEATURE REVIEW

DC Super Hero Girls: Legends of Atlantis
Studio: Warner Bros. Animation
Release Date: Digital, DVD - October 2, 2018

Synopsis: It seems like an uneventful day at school until the powerful Book of Legends is suddenly stolen from Super Hero High. In order to uncover the mystery, Wonder Woman, Batgirl, Supergirl, Bumblebee and the rest of the Super Crew must journey through the depths of the ocean to Atlantis. There, the girls encounter Mera and Siren, the ocean-dwelling thieves, who prove to be a formidable match. In order to recover the stolen tome and return it to its rightful place, DC Super Hero Girls must band together and use their collective powers to successfully get back to land…and back to class!

DC Super Hero Girls: Legends of AtlantisDC Super Hero Girls: Legends of Atlantis features some of the top voice actors in the industry including Grey Griffin (Wonder Woman), Tara Strong (Harley Quinn/Poison Ivy), Anais Fairweather (Supergirl), Mae Whitman (Batgirl), Teala Dunn (Bumblebee) and Stephanie Sheh (Katana) as they join forces to portray the youthful versions of some of the world’s best known Super Heroes. Cecilia Aranovich Hamilton and Ian Hamilton direct from a script by Shea Fontana. Jennifer Coyle serves as producer with Sam Register as Executive Producer.

DVD SPECIAL FEATURES
-Super Hero High TV Special


DC Super Hero Girls: Legends of Atlantis Review
By Andrei Logigan, James Harvey

Diving deep into the oceans, DC Super Hero Girls: Legends of Atlantis brings Mera to the spotlight in this fun installment of the ongoing DC Super Hero Girls franchise. While it is primarily aimed at a younger audience, as well as a female demographic, I think some of the stuff that came out of this project has been pretty entertaining and I believe boys or even adults could find something to enjoy here. And this animated feature is no exception!

The movie focuses more on Mera (voiced by Erica Lindbeck) more than on Aquaman himself, but that's to be expected given the theme of the franchise. Mera's sister Siren is also present (also voiced by Lindbeck), and she is the main antagonist of the story. It is kind of a refreshing change of pace after so many Aquaman and Ocean Master stories, to have these two sisters play a somewhat similar role. The sibling rivalry, or whatever you want to call it, is still present but their motives and outcomes are different this time.

The story is fairly simple - Siren wishes to use the magical Book of Legends to take over the kingdom of Atlantis, wishing to make it her new home. Mera goes along with most of her sister's plan, mostly because Siren has always taken care of her since they were young, but starts questioning what they are doing as the story plays out. Siren is in fact only using her sister - her water manipulation powers come in handy a number of times, but once she has what she desires she wastes no time in double-crossing her sister.

The main characters of the DC Super Hero Girls franchise naturally play a hefty role in this movie too, even if they aren’t the focus. They do push the story along. The Book of Legends is discovered by Hawkgirl, and both Wonder Woman and Raven recognize it and know how dangerous it can be. After an attack by the two Atlantean sisters, which results in the Book being stolen, the super hero girls embark on a mission to retrieve it and stop whatever the villains were planning.

There are also a couple of neat sub-plots spread throughout the movie. For example, one of Raven's spells accidentally causes Supergirl and Batgirl to swap their powers and personalities. This results in some pretty amusing scenes, seeing the two heroines try and cope with their new abilities. Touching upon themes from earlier movies and episodes in the franchise, Harley Quinn is also seen trying to cheer up Raven in a few scenes, believing that if she manages to control her emotions, she would also be able to control her powers better.

The most intriguing sub-plot is probably in regards to Wonder Woman and Mera. As it turns out, in this continuity, the two meet each other when they were much younger. Back then was the first time Siren tried using the Book of Legends to unleash an army of Trench creatures to do her bidding. Diana stopped them, although she was terrified by the creatures (to the point she still has nightmares of them to this day), and also nearly drowns during this encounter. Mera saved her life, taking her to the surface, but Diana being unconscious has no idea this is what happened. As a result, she doesn't trust Mera and thinks she is as evil as Siren. All this adds some neat characterization to both of them, and the moment where Diana realizes she was wrong all this time was also handled well. This results in Mera working alongside the heroes to stop Siren, something they manage to do with a little help from Raven.

Some of the other characters usually featured in this franchise are also present in the movie, although they do not really receive as much development or any kind of arcs. Most of them are only seen in the background during various scenes, but a few of them do get a chance to be in the spotlight when they are shown saving Metropolis and its inhabitants from the tidal waves Siren created in order to destroy anyone who might be able to stand in her way. It’s great to see consistent use of the franchise’s characters, even if some don’t always get the spotlight. The heroes manage to win, if there was any doubt.

Aquaman (voiced by Max Mittleman) is also present in the story, albeit for only a couple of scenes. He's also portrayed as somewhat younger than usual, but he fits well alongside most of the other characters here. He's the young king of Atlantis, wielder of the magic trident Siren wishes to have. He does get in on the action for a brief scene, but he is defeated by the two sisters. He is then put under a spell, and spends the rest of the movie in a deep sleep, until Raven wakes him up towards the finale. There are also some hints showing a possible romance between him and Mera, as is usually the case, although nothing comes out of it here.

In the end, Mera is pardoned for what she did while helping her sister (who was banished), and is even welcomed to live in Atlantis. However, she refuses and instead decides to join Super Hero High, truly believing she has finally found a place where she belongs. This is a great set-up and essentially establishes why we see Mera in the franchise’s animated shorts.

Overall, the movie is fun. It has a pretty good story, and does a decent job balancing all the characters. The focus on Mera and her sister is handled well, and as mentioned before it is a nice change from the usual Aquaman stories produced over the years. If you want more of Aquaman’s world from a different perspective, while focusing on some new characters in the DC Super Hero Girls franchise, this is a great movie to check out. DC Super Hero Girls: Legends of Atlantis comes Recommended!



 

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